Transitional
Sound on Sound Records
Imagine a raw version of Satisfact, ripping back all the slick New Wave of
'80s production and reducing it to what sounds like four single tracks of
recording technology. The amazing thing about Transitional is the layers of
sound they develop as they move through soundscapes which present standards have deemed to be too complex or insignificant. Transitional is a paradox: powerful and fragile, they combine influences and emotions with great skill and without fear.
Taking cues from bands that
focused more on mood and composition than on crafting individual "hits" (Gang of Four, The Fall),Transitional creates a cohesive piece with their album Transitional vs. The People (Sound on Sound), featuring "Is it a Rut or a Groove?" and "Passage So Sleek." The music is not unlike the score to a movie about a single night's drive through the U.S.'s most desolate strip of highway. Keyboards form the most up-front sound, building on precise arrangements laid down by subtle bass, guitar, and drums. The ten songs on this record take listeners through themes including postmodernism, politics, and inertia. This is New Wave for the new wave; an extremely intelligent release.
"Unlimited Refill" is from the 2000 Pehr Records EP not even the most condescending form of noblesse oblige. Once again, Transitional blends New Wave atmospheres with punk rock anthems to create music that reveres the past while looking towards the future.
Jeanne Acceturo
last updated:
08/31/01
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Satisfact, Unwound, Mocket, The Plasmatics, Gang of Four
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